Beverages are commonly consumed at outdoor events including parties, picnics and sporting events. Containers from which beverages are consumed outdoors include mugs, glasses, bottles, and cans. Beverages, and frequently the containers from which they are consumed, are generally either chilled or heated. Frequently, the temperature of a beverage is inversely related to the outside temperature, cold drinks being favored when it is warm and hot or warm drinks being preferred when it is cold. However, though perhaps less common cold drinks are often consumed outdoors in cold weather and hot drinks are consumed in warm weather.
It is preferable that beverages maintain their temperature while they are held and being consumed. Different beverage containers have different abilities to maintain the temperature of beverages. Insulating containers or holders that help maintain a beverage's temperature are used for outdoor consumption of beverages. Examples of insulting containers include insulated mugs and insulating sleeves for cans. Cans and bottles, which function through most of their use to hold a beverage for shipping and storing rather than while the beverage is consumed, are generally less effective at maintaining the temperature of the held beverage when held than are containers that are made to hold a beverage while it is consumed. A person's hand can heat a chilled beverage through bottles and particularly through cans. This is generally recognized to be a warm weather problem. In cold weather, rather than concern for heating the beverage, a person who consumes a chilled beverage from a bottle or can may be concerned that the chilled container makes the hand holding the container cold and uncomfortable.
In addition to maintaining the temperature of a beverage, consuming beverages outdoors raises concerns related to maintaining a grip on a beverage container. Avoiding dropping a container and spilling a beverage is desirable for many reasons. Dropping a container can create a hazard by breaking a container. Maintaining a grip on a beverage container is a particular concern for cans and bottles that are primarily containers for transporting beverages because they are not made to be held while the beverage is consumed as are mugs, cups or glasses. Maintaining a grip on bottles or cans is a particular concern when those containers have been stored with ice to be kept cold and as a result are wet, slippery and difficult to hold.
When beverages are consumed outside in cold temperatures, people often wear gloves or mittens to both protect their hand from weather and from contact with a beverage. Gloves can decrease the wearer's ability to feel the container and may make the wearer's grip on the container less certain. Such difficulty in holding a beverage container is increased when beverages in cans or bottles are wet either from rain or snow or from being kept on ice.
A need exists for a product that will allow a person to hold a beverage without heating a chilled beverage or being heated by a hot beverage. In addition, a need exists for a product that will help a person grip a beverage container particularly when the container is damp or wet.